GIS

EuroGeographics contract with Eurostat

EuroGeographics has signed a contract to provide pan-European geographic information and related services to Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. Now staff at the European Commission can access geospatial data from National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registry Authorities through its geographical information service, GISCO. press@eurogeographics.org

Geocoded reference system to meet demand for integrated data

Growing demand for data analysis across user-defined geographical areas is driving the need for a geocoded point-based reference system says UN-GGIM: Europe.

A report on priority user needs by the working group on data integration found that many no longer require the fixed output areas of traditional surveys and censuses. It recommends that all countries in Europe work together to create a geocoded spatial reference framework for statistics which uses consistent unique identifiers to reference relevant information. The report, which is the first deliverable from UNGGIM: Europe, highlights examples of best practice in responding to user needs at local, national and European level from Member States, as well as the European Commission and European projects. These demonstrate how the integration of geospatial data and statistics can be used to achieve and monitor key UN Sustainable Development Goals relating to Dignity, People, Prosperity and Planet.

It makes five recommendations that member states:

• Support the development of a European Spatial Data Strategy based on comprehensive National Spatial Data Strategies.

• Initiate a process to increase the number of national authoritative geospatial datasets to better meet stakeholders requirements.

• Consider the requirements of National Statistical Institutes to provide geospatial information for following trends and changes in the environment.

• Promote the use of geospatial workfl ows and technology as key to advancing the integration of geospatial and thematic information.

• That Member States promote the use of geospatial workfl ows and technology, in particular for the Census 2021. www.un-ggim-europe.org

SAP accelerates geo-enabled access to enterprise data

SAP has announced it is offering new capabilities to turbocharge spatial intelligence by simplifying, accelerating and geo-enabling access to enterprise data. In the era of the Internet of Things (IoT), proliferation of low-cost location-aware devices is augmenting enterprise data with the “where” component. The SAP HANA platform can help break the silos between enterprise and GIS systems, enabling companies to get more value from corporate data and uncover trends and patterns in a visually intuitive manner. www.sap.com

CloudCities released

SmarterBetterCities has announced the public release of CloudCities, which is an intuitive 3D city service with features for community engagement, easy city data sharing and analytics. Think of it as a YouTube for your 3D city models. Stakeholders can easily explore new city developments and observe existing places they live, work and visit. Dashboards provide detailed information about space allocation, energy consumption and costs. Stakeholders can contribute valuable feedback instantly, start discussions and suggest new proposals even during public hearings or from home. https://cloudciti.es

Honolulu unveils extreme Tsunami evacuation zone

The city of Honolulu has unveiled a new set of Extreme Tsunami Evacuation Zone (XTEZ) maps, to prepare for extreme earthquakes. The maps have been developed by the city’s Department of Emergency Management (DEM) along with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and the University of Hawaii. City officials have also introduced a free disaster preparedness smartphone app called Ready Hawaii, which has been designed to enable residents and visitors develop family disaster plans. It’ll also help residents learn about hazards and disasters in Hawaii.

GIS-mapping for TB patients in India

In a bid to ensure that tuberculosis cases in the country do not escape detection, a GIS-based mapping and tagging of TB patients, which will provide a real time and a dynamic way to represent disease information on maps, is on the anvil. The move gains significance, as India has the highest number of TB cases in the World, according to the World Health Organisation. www.asianage.com

ICIMOD bags Humanitarian GIS Award

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) has been awarded a ‘Humanitarian GIS Award’ for its contribution to the disaster response efforts of the government of Nepal in the aftermath of the recent earthquake in the country. The award was announced during the 2015 International User Conference of the Environmental System Research Institute (Esri) in San Diego. In close collaboration with Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) and with technical support from Esri, ICIMOD developed and deployed the ‘Nepal Earthquake 2015: Disaster Relief and Recovery Information Platform’ (NDRRIP). http://www.ekantipur.com

Bosch and TomTom to develop digital maps

German auto supplier Bosch and Dutch digital mapping company TomTom will be working together to develop highdefinition digital maps needed by selfdriving cars. The new maps will contain a localisation layer and a planning layer for cars to calculate their position on a road. Bosch will provide technology to make TomTom’s digital maps more accurate and better able to incorporate data produced by a vehicle’s systems. WSJ